Michael Schumacher, the Formula One driver who sustained a serious brain injury in a skiing accident last year, is making progress in his recovery but still has a long road ahead, a doctor who treated the racing great said this week.

"I have observed some progress but I would say we have to give him time," Jean-Francois Payen told France's RTL radio station on Thursday, according to Reuters.

"The same as for other patients, we are in a timescale that goes from one to three years, so we must be patient."

Schumacher, 45, suffered severe head injuries in a fall while skiing in Meribel in the French Alps last December and was treated initially at Grenoble hospital.

He was then moved to a hospital in Lausanne and was discharged last month to continue his rehabilitation at home in the Swiss town of Gland.

Payen said he had continued to treat the former Ferrari and Mercedes driver in Switzerland, but divulged no medical details other than saying the German was not in a coma and nor was he in a 'vegetative' state.

"He is in very favorable conditions, his wife has excellent advisors and has put in place everything he needs to move forwards."

Payen said Schumacher's wife Corinna had shown "extraordinary willpower" and had a clear understanding of what was needed and the road that lay ahead.

Michael Schumacher, the Formula One driver who sustained a serious brain injury in a skiing accident last year, is making progress in his recovery but still has a long road ahead, a doctor who treated the racing great said this week.